Replacing traction-lok clutches

w.neurauter said:

Does anyone know of a write up anywhere on replacing the clutching inside the limited slip? Mine is starting to get loose and I'd like to do it myself but haven't found any good write ups anywhere to make sure I can do it myself. I've searched and found some info but no detailed steps. I was just going to get the $50 ford rebuild pack.

Thanks in advance for any help

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I'd suggest replacing the complete carrier with an after-market limited slip. The ford system is very weak with one small s-spring applying pressure to the clutches. Any reasonable horsepower, or sticky tires, and the clutches will slip and you lose traction on one wheel.

I like the auburn pro, it is stout. Or you can go to a locker...

If you keep the stocker.

I recommend that you use a f-150 8.8 S spring and swap out one spline plate from each side for a extra friction and set your clearance on the tight side of the spec.. Also remember to use as little friction modifier as you can get away with.. Use just enough to prevent excessive lockup under tight turns, a little bit of grabbing on a full lock turn is ok to ideal for good traction.

If you can upgrade to a 31 spline setup with aftermarket axles and the side gears out of a ford truck 8.8

BobHyatt said:

I'd suggest replacing the complete carrier with an after-market limited slip. The ford system is very weak with one small s-spring applying pressure to the clutches. Any reasonable horsepower, or sticky tires, and the clutches will slip and you lose traction on one wheel.

I like the auburn pro, it is stout. Or you can go to a locker...

Click to expand...

Weak ,i guess if you abuse it. I ran the stock ford trac lok for years without one failure even at 600+ rwhp(was a 31 spline unit though).



I have set mine up like svttech76 posted.There is also a better setup (using stock stuff) the 03~04 cobras use a carbon fiber clutch pack.THis holds abuse even better (ran this setup when i converted to a IRS)..Never had a traction issue (at least due to the clutches slipping).

Yes the axles have to come out. A couple of important items to remember: don't forget to soak the new friction disks for 15-60 mins and DO use thread locker on the cross pin lock bolt!!!

sometimes u have to take the abs cables out to get axles in far enough too get the c-clips out....

I use my 99 GT for autocross and open tracking road courses. I use 315/35/17 Kumho V710's all the way around. I launch it pretty hard but not like a drag racer with constant burnouts and stuff. The stock diff is plenty strong enough for a mildly modded car.

I replaced the diff clutches around 50K and again around 75K. Both times I left the S spring out and it is out to this day. Not long ago I reshimmed it and used the alternate stacking method to tighten it up. Car has a little over 100K on it now. Leaving the S spring out allows the diff to run lazy if you coast into a turn which lessons understeer. The S spring is just a preload. The actual forces that lock the clutches is the spreading of the side gears when torque is applied, not the S spring. I have to admit the main reason I left it out was it is a certified PITA to get it back in. I was unable to. I tried first to get a F150 spring to go in and after a couple of hours I tried to get the stock spring back in. An hour after that I said screw it and chunked it in the spare parts box. If you insist on putting the spring in replace it with a new one. I heard one case of the spring breaking and tearing up the whole chunk.

The Ford settings are pretty loose. I shim mine to have about .005" measured with a feeler gauge between the end of the axle and the center pin on each side. You can take this measurement before you tear it down and record it then measure the thickness of the clutch packs after you remove them. Add the gap measurement to the clutch pack measurement then subtract .005" and that's how thick the new stack needs to be. You can also play around with less amounts of friction modifier to get it to hook up a little better. I think the last time I did mine I just used Valvoline synthetic blend gear oil and NO friction modifier. Probably don't want to try that with new clutches.

You will need to loosen or remove the ABS sensors to get the axles to go in far enough to remove the C-clips.

That link above goes way beyond what you need to do to replace the clutches. This link does too but starts with getting the axles out and going through the traction loc rebuild before going into all the gear info. http://www.corral.net/tech/drivetrain/gears.html